Guidelines for Mentees

Guidelines and Terms & Conditions for ELSA Mentees

These guidelines are intended to help you make the most of your Mentoring Journey

The ELSA Mentorship Team

The Team will make all efforts to connect you with available Mentors. A successful match depends on the profile of ELSA Mentors on the Mentor Panel, their availability and an alignment between your requirements and their expertise. If you haven’t heard back from the Team for two weeks after submitting your request, please email us at mentorship@lsralumna.org

Do keep in mind that the Team is made up of Volunteer ELSAs who are sharing their own time and will be doing everything possible to ensure an efficient, collaborative and kind process.

ELSA Mentors

ELSA Mentors are women with deep experience, expertise and wisdom. Importantly, they are women who are willing and happy to mentor fellow ELSA alumnus. They are volunteering their time and energy to get to know you, listen to you and the advise, support, help and guide you, as necessary. Please acknowledge and respect their kind intent.

It is important to maintain a professional boundary even as you build a personal rapport with your Mentor.

We give below some guidelines that will help you through the process

Once the ELSA Mentorship Team has sent an introductory email to you and your Mentor, please go ahead and connect with your Mentor to introduce yourself and share your objectives. Confirm the following:

Date and time for your first session
the appropriate length for your session
the channel the Mentor prefers – phone/ whatsapp/ zoom/ face to face

Before this introductory call, do your homework. Gather information about your mentor, her organization, her experience and expertise. This is important especially if you have requested for Professional Mentorship.

Try and confirm the date, time, channel/venue for the next session at the ongoing session
Try not to cancel your session. However, if you must cancel due to any emergency, do try and give the Mentor enough notice (at least 24 hours). She is creating time especially for you, and like you, she is also a woman balancing multiple commitments
Ensure you both understand and agree to your scheduling process
Please keep note of your schedule of sessions to help the Team understand and evaluate the efficiency of the Mentorship Program process

Be on time.
Listen deeply and engage completely.
Take notes
Use the first conversation to establish rapport and get to know each other
Share your goals and expectations with your Mentor
Tell your Mentor what you hope to receive from her and achieve from this mentorship
Agree to be honest and frank in your sharing and with feedback. Mentorship is a two-way process and you need to open up and be vulnerable.
Understand that your discussions will be confidential in the interest of building trust
Ask your Mentor how she will approach the Mentorship journey
Make clear commitments.
With the help of your Mentor, create an action plan/ next steps to prepare for the next meeting.
Confirm your next session.

Act upon the advise of your Mentor
You are responsible for your own decisions and your actions

There are some common unrealistic expectations of Mentors that can cause disappointment on both sides. In general, the Mentor is NOT expected to:

Provide the Mentee with personal introductions to other people unless she is comfortable doing so
Spend more time on the relationship than she is able to give
Take the lead in the relationship, setting up all meetings and driving the Mentee’s career development. This is the Mentee’s responsibility
Continue the relationship beyond the stated goal for the mentoring

You can use the advice and feedback you receive from your Mentor as you see fit. But neither your Mentor nor the ELSA Lady Shri Ram College Alumni Association holds any responsibility for your personal or professional decisions.

Terms & Conditions

As an ELSA Mentee, you agree to abide by the following terms and conditions:

Scheduling

You agree to initiate contact with the Mentor once the Mentorship Team has shared her details with you
If for some reason you are unable to connect with the Mentor, or do not wish to continue with the Mentoring, you will notify the Mentorship Team immediately.
You will agree to and abide by a mutually convenient scheduling process with your Mentor.
You will give your Mentor a minimum of 24 hours notice if you need to cancel a session.

Confidentiality

While your Mentor will keep all information shared by you confidential, you will advise her by email if you have requested her to share any information with any other party
In the event that your Mentor shares confidential information with you for the purposes of your development and goals, you will hold such information confidential and not disclose it to any other party.

Feedback

You will provide feedback on your mentorship journey and your Mentor in the prescribed format as per the ELSA Mentorship process. This information will be held confidentially and is for the purpose of ensuring a valuable service to all ELSAs.

Compensation & Engagement

You agree that you will not offer any compensation to the Mentor in any form.
You will not offer your Mentor business opportunities, clients or jobs
If you, at any point, wish to engage professionally with the Mentor’s business / organization, you will notify the Mentorship Team immediately

Safety

You will ensure that you will, in no way, by word or deed, do anything that may be harmful to the Mentor in any way – physically, mentally, emotionally, financially or legally.
You will respect the safe space created by the Mentor for you, and, in no way, disrespect her or be judgemental of her in your interactions with her or in public.

Code of Conduct

You will abide by the ELSA Code of Conduct and be respectful, courteous in your interaction with the Mentee and the Mentorship Team at all times.

Termination

In the event that you find you are unable to continue on the mentorship journey, you will notify the Mentorship Team immediately
In the event that you are found to be violating the Terms and Conditions or the Guidelines, or are found to be indulging in physical, legal, financial or any other misconduct, the ELSA Mentorship Team reserves the right to terminate your role as an ELSA Mentor as well as your ELSA Membership.

Liability

The ELSA Lady Shri Ram Alumni Association will not be held responsible or liable for any exchange between the Mentor and Mentee who are entering into this relationship in their individual capacity.
The ELSA Lady Shri Ram Alumni Association will not be held responsible or liable for any physical, mental, psychological, legal, financial or other misconduct by either the Mentor or the Mentee

When you submit your Request for Mentorship form, you are in agreement with these Terms & Conditions stated herein. Please ensure you have read these carefully.

Individuals participating in mentorship programs are responsible for their own decisions and actions. Mentors provide guidance and support, but ultimate responsibility lies with the Mentee. The Mentee acknowledges that the purpose of providing mentoring is to assist mentees with their decision-making process and not to provide advice on decisions the Mentee may take. The provision of mentoring services does not constitute financial, management or any kind of consultancy services.

When you submit your Request for Mentorship form, you are in agreement with these Terms & Conditions stated herein. Please ensure you have read these carefully.